Pub crawl 101

6 tips for surviving a marathon night out

June 04, 2009|By Lisa Arnett and Rebecca Palmore

With a whopping four crawls on tap this Saturday, we looked to some local, uh, tour guides for survival tips. Sharing their expertise are Spike McGuire of pH Production's Zombie Pub Crawl in Andersonville; Dan Barnes, the self-described "long-term binge-drinking" co-organizer of the Snuggie Pub Crawl; and Chris Festa, the brains behind the 12 Bars of Christmas (a.k.a. TBOX) crawl.

Pace yourself

Pub crawls trump typical nights out when it comes to testing your endurance. "Treat it like an urban version ... of a hiking trip or any kind of other outdoor adventure," Festa says. "If you're going on a seven-mile hike, you don't start sprinting up the first hill." Translation: Nurse your drinks, and by all means, skip shots entirely.

Start at the beginning

Only rookies join crawls at the half-way mark. "If you come in sober and not initiated into what's happened, it can be disconcerting," Festa says. Starting at the beginning also may keep you focused on completing the crawl because, as Barnes notes, "alcohol will naturally impair your ability to keep interest in something."

Eat strategically

Peanut butter-and-banana sandwiches, a diner brunch or Chipotle burritos are fave pre-crawl meals for Festa and Barnes, but it's eating throughout the crawl that's key. "A lot of people like to pre-game [drink]," says McGuire, but he started with a starchy, home-cooked meal before his zombie jaunt instead.

Choose companions wisely

"Team is everything," Barnes says. "They're going to encourage you, help you keep the course." That means lightweights, chronic hookup-seekers and duck-out-early types should not be on your call list. Fail to select committed partners in crime, says Festa, and you might end up like he did on the first TBOX in '96: drinking alone for the first hour.

Think twice about possessions

If you're the be-prepared, Boy Scout type like McGuire, heed his advice and pack a sweatshirt, umbrella and sunscreen into a backpack. Otherwise, go the minimalist route. "I will leave my credit card. I will leave my keys. I will leave everything," says Barnes. Even in the dead of winter, Festa doesn't bring a coat. "I've lost at least four or five jackets ... so I just try to go without," he says.

Dress up. Way up.

Themed crawls boast a communal spirit and make it easy to break the ice in a large group. Festa, who has watched TBOX costumes evolve from simple Santa hats to more elaborate getups, says "the more you can draw attention to yourself, the better." On a crawl with no theme, take a tip from a trend started by Barnes and his friends during ad hoc crawls in Lincoln Park: Wear a helmet.

The basics: Aim to break the Guinness World Record, set by 3,163 crawlers in New York, while raising cash for the Children's Heart Foundation. Specials include $2 drafts.

On the crawl: Bull & Bear, Uncle Fatty's, Prost and others

Chicago Pub Challenge

Start: 4 p.m. Cubby Bear Wrigleyville, 1059 W. Addison St.

Register: $25-$30; jacksonevents.netThe basics: The race and benefit for the Make-A-Wish Foundation features a puzzle at each bar and a prize for the winning two-person team. Everyone gets domestic drafts at the finish line at Cubby Bear (6:30-8:30 p.m.).

On the crawl: Murphy's Bleachers, Mullen's, Merkle's and others

Clown for Chi-Town Pub Crawl

Start: 2 p.m. Goose Island Wrigleyville, 3535 N. Clark St.

Register: $15; www.clownforchitown.com

The basics: Wig out in costume and BYO non-perishable food items to benefit the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Specials include $3 domestic drafts at most spots.On the crawl: Red Ivy, Cubby Bear, Vines on Clark and others